Blue Hills Bay – February 13, 1943

Little information is available about this accident as press reports were vague.

On February 13, 1943, a two-man Navy plane crashed into Blue Hills Bay while on a training flight. The type of plane was not identified.

The pilot, Lieutenant John Shelley, of Wellesley, Massachusetts, was rescued by townsmen from Surrey, who braved the icy waters in a small boat to get to the downed airman.

An unidentified radioman was lost in the crash. Lt. Shelley stated that both he and the radioman had managed to climb onto a wing of the partially submerged aircraft and the radioman attempted to swim the mile or so to shore. The water was cold, with floating ice and strong currents.